Endoscopic surgery has become popular and commonplace for certain surgical procedures, such as gall bladder removal, ovariectomies and for appendectomies. In such procedures, diseased, malignant, necrotic or inflamed tissues and/or organs are excised and removed from the patient. Similarly, adhesions, gall and kidney stones, polyps and tumors may be removed using endoscopic surgical techniques. In many of the foregoing procedures, a bag or pouch is used to contain the matter to be removed from the patient's body. The purpose of the pouch is to contain and isolate the infected or irritating matter upon its separation from the patient's internal organs such that it is not lost at the internal surgical site, e.g., the abdominal cavity, and/or does not infect or irritate healthy organs with which it might otherwise come in contact. Surgical pouches also provide a mechanism for firmly grasping the excised matter. Since the pouches are most commonly formed of a resilient, fluid impenetrable polymer film, liquids and flowable exudate may be contained within the pouches which typically have a noose, constricting band or other means for sealing the mouth of the pouch.